Month Ahead: Women Head to the Giro, Men Look to the Tour

Rabobank-Liv/giant star Marianne Vos (left) aims to win a third Giro title this June. (Getty)

RACES TO WATCH
Criterium du Dauphine (June 2–9)
In some years, riders use the weeklong Dauphine to recon of important Tour de France stages. But this year’s route includes only two major similarities to July’s race: an ascent of Alpe d’Huez and the equally important descent of the Col de Sarenne, which will form part of a crucial Tour stage. But with a number of medium mountain days and a pancake-flat 32-kilometer individual time trial, this year’s Dauphine mostly serves as a chance to fine-tune physical form. The field is impressive, with Sky’s Tour captain, Chris Froome, Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank-Tinkoff, Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez, two-time winner Alejandro Valverde of Movistar, Lotto-Belisol’s Jurgen van den Broeck, and likely Tour debutante Andrew Talansky of Garmin.

Tour de Suisse (June 8–16)
The Tour de Suisse is the final preparation race before the Tour de France. Typically, it’s a mountainous affair. This year’s race opens with an 8-kilometer prologue and finishes with a 26.8-kilometer time trial that ends with a long, gradual climb. The Tour de Suisse is worth following for the scenery, which is always gorgeous, but it also boasts a top-level start list. One rider especially worth watching is BMC’s Tejay van Garderen, who recently won the Amgen Tour of California and has yellow-jersey ambitions. Garmin-Sharp is sending climbing duo Dan Martin and Pete Stetina. Young American Joe Dombrowski (Team Sky) will be looking for some European stage race experience and should show well in Switzerland’s high mountains. Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) head to Switzerland for the sprints, and RadioShack-Leopard’s Fabian Cancellara is always on fire for his home race.

European National Championships (June 21–23)
The weekend prior to the Tour de France is traditionally national championship time in Europe, which should see a whole suite of riders show up to the French Grand Tour in fresh national flag kits from road race and time trial events (one exception: Belgium, where the national time trial championship is held in August).

Giro Rosa (June 30–July 7)
After last year’s Giro Donne (the women’s Giro d’Italia), there was doubt that the race would continue, but the Italian Federation was determined to keep the race alive. A new organizer took over the event and renamed it the Giro Rosa. This year’s race heads to seven regions of Italy in eight days—Puglia, Campania, Molise, Marche, Liguria, Piemonte, and Lombardia. It’s two days shorter than in the past, but the race plan is ambitious, cutting a long diagonal across the Italian peninsula. This year’s edition does not hit any of Italy’s iconic climbs, such as the Passo di Gavia and the Passo dello Stelvio. Still, the Giro remains one of the most important races on the women’s calendar.

Two-time winner Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/giant) returns this year to defend her title. Former winners Fabiana Luperini (Faren-Let’s Go Finland), Claudia Häusler (Tibco-To The Top), and Mara Abbott (US National) are also expected to ride. Specialized-lululemon’s Evelyn Stevens, who won a stage and finished third overall last year, will be looking to take on Vos for the pink jersey. Two-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-Honda) and World Cup winner Shelley Olds (Tibco-To The Top) will target the sprints.

Domestic Races
The U.S. pro scene hit a climax over Memorial Day with its national championship weekend in Chattanooga, but the domestic circuit continues with the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic (the old US Pro race) and several events on the National Criterium circuit, like the three-day Tulsa Tough (June 7–9) and the Tour of America’s Dairyland in Wisconsin (June 20–30). Another North American event to watch: Canada’s Tour de Beauce (June 11–16), where young talent often emerges. Both Hincapie Development and Bontrager will be competing alongside top US teams like UnitedHealthcare, Bissell, and 5-Hour Energy.

RIDERS TO WATCH
Chris FroomeThe soap opera around the Sky team was diffused by the announcement that Bradley Wiggins would not defend his Tour de France title due to injury and illness. Chris Froome has prepared all season to lead the team at the Tour and can now go forward without drama or any doubt about who will be protected come July. Look for him to take his fourth stage-race win of the season at the Dauphine.

Tejay van Garderen (BMC)
With his win at the Tour of California breaking his streak of almost-victories in major stage races, van Garderen is poised to make a huge leap in confidence. He’ll start the Tour de France as leader 1B to Cadel Evans’s 1A. But van Garderen said that going with two leader options may be the only way for BMC to attack Sky, and maintains that, like last year, it’s possible for him to ride for a high overall placing while still helping Evans. First up, though, a mountainous Tour de Suisse that suits his capabilities. After California, there’s not as much pressure on him to win, but it will be interesting to see what the new, more mature van Garderen can do after his breakthrough win.

Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel)
Sanchez finished an unusually subdued Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia in 12th overall; it’s the first time in his career he’s finished a three-week race outside the top 10. The 35 year-old Euskaltel captain nearly notched a stage win in the final uphill time trial at the Giro, but was knocked out of the top spot by overall winner Vincenzo Nibali. But no rest for the weary: Sanchez will start the Dauphine with pressure. Euskaltel has only two wins this season and, without substantial success in the second half of the season, could see its WorldTour ranking in jeopardy.

Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step)
After a nightmarish spring in which crashes derailed his chances of contending in his beloved cobbled Classics, Belgium’s Tom Boonen appears to have regained some swagger. The Belgian skipped a trip to the Tour of California to train closer to home, opting instead for the Tour de Picardie and the Tour of Belgium. Boonen was a key contributor in his teammate Tony Martin’s overall Belgium win, and came out of his home tour with a pair of podium finishes. Boonen’s next goal is defending his national championship jersey in La Roche en Ardenne.

Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/giant)
Whenever Vos lines up to race, she starts as the favorite. This month she heads to the Giro Rosa with the ambition of winning her third straight pink jersey. It all sounds routine, except that this year, Vos has been racing mountain bikes in addition to her normal road schedule. Just after winning Flèche Wallonne, she traveled to California for the Sea Otter Classic, and won both the short track and cross-country races against a field that included former world champion Catharine Pendrel. In her first mountain bike World Cup start, Vos finished eleventh in Albstadt, Germany. Watch for her at the Heeswijk-Dinther World Cup, then it’s back to the road.

WHAT TO EXPECT
Early Coverage of the 2013 Tour de France
The 100th edition of the Tour de France begins on Sunday, June 29, on the island of Corsica. As always, Bicycling will be on site for the opening weekend’s festivities with previews, reports, interviews, and yes, the return of Tour Talk, featuring Frankie Andreu and James Startt.

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